European Geologist European Geologist Geoheritage - learning ...

Topical - Geoheritage
Information system on important geosites in
the Slovak Republic
Pavel Liščák* and Alexander Nagy
Between 2008 and2011, within the project
on an Information system of important geosites
in Slovakia, a database of 479 geosites
was compiled. Each record of the database
contains a detailed geological description of
the site, the degree of and the reason for its
protection, the map location and the geological
map at a scale of 1:50,000, graphic
documentation in the form of photographs,
drawings and contemporary postcards and
references. The popular texts are provided
both in Slovakian and English. Most of the
geosites are not protected by law, but from
a scientific and academic point of view they
are extremely valuable geological entities,
which should be maintained for future generations
as geological heritage.
Dans la période 2008 à 2011, pour le Projet
de création d’un système d’Information
relatif aux sites géologiques majeurs de
Slovaquie, une base de données intéressant
479 sites géologiques a été compilée.
Chaque enregistrement de la base de données
comporte une description géologique
détaillée du site concerné, son niveau de
protection ainsi que les raisons de cette
protection, sa position géographique, son
contexte géologique à l’échelle du 1/50.000,
une documentation graphique sous forme
de photographies, dessins, images contemporaines
et références. Les textes de
vulgarisation sont écrits, à la fois, en langue
slovaque et anglaise. La majorité des sites ne
bénéficient d’aucune protection légale mais,
d’un point de vue scientifique et académique,
ils représentent des entités géologiques
de valeur exceptionnelle qui devraient être
sauvegardées pour les générations futures
en tant qu’héritage géologique.
Entre los años 2008 y 2011 y dentro del
proyecto sobre un sistema de información
de los lugares de interés geológico más
relevantes de Eslovaquia se compiló una
basa de datos de 479 lugares. Cada ficha
de la base de datos contiene una detallada
descripción geológica del sitio y las razones
por su protección, el mapa de situación de
la zona a escala 1:50 000, documentación
gráfica en forma de fotografías, dibujos,
portales actuales y referencias. Los textos
divulgativos están en eslovaco e inglés. La
mayoría de los lugares de interés geológico
no tienen protección legal, pero desde un
punto de vista científico y académico son
entidades geológicas de un elevado valor
que se deberían conservar para las generaciones
futuras como patrimonio geológico.
Geological Setting of Slovakia (in brief)
The Western Carpathians are a mountain
range with a very complicated
structural-tectonic and geomorphological
evolution (genesis), and are part of
the Alp-Carpathian-Himalayan mountain
system. In this mountain range, the rockscover
an immense geological timespan from
more than 600 million years ago to recentlyformed
deposits (river deposits, weathering
scree, various debris, loams, etc.).
The Western Carpathians overcame several
orogenic events during the repeated
collisions of continents in the Palaeozoic,
Mesozoic and Tertiary eras. The Western
Carpathians have gained their current position
within the space between the edge of
the European Platform and the northern
part of the African Continent since the
youngest Tertiary (approx. 15 million years
ago).
* State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr,
Mlynska dolina, Bratislava, Slovak Republic,
pavel.liscak@geology.sk
Along the northern edge of the arc of
the Western Carpathians collisions of the
upper crust blocks took place, accompanied
by folding. At the same time in the south,
in their rear, the crust was stretching and
thinning out, giving rise to extensive marine
pools (basins). The northern protrusions
of the Pannonian Basin, with its centre in
Hungary - (Vienna, Danubian, East- and
South-Slovakian basins) encroach on Slovakian
territory. These orogenic movements
split the mountains ranges (Malé Karpaty,
Tribeč, Považský Inovec, the Strážovské
vrchy, Žiar, Vysoké and Nízke Tatry,
Branisko, Zemplínske vrchy) into isolated
islands (horsts); their margins are currently
submerging below the Tertiary sediments.
During this time, extensive volcanic activity
created the Štiavnické and Kremnické vrchy
Mts., Pohronský Inovec, Vtáčnik, Javorie,
Poľana and Kováčovské vrchy (Burda) Hills
(Central Slovakian neovolcanites). In eastern
Slovakia the chain consists of the former
active volcanoes of the Slánske vrchy and
Vihorlat Mts.
The geological map, regardless of the
scale, indicates the age of the rocks using
colour, with the oldest rocks usually darkest
and the younger rocks in brighter shades.
The geological structure of Slovakia consists
of the Outer and Inner Carpathians
separated by the Klippen Belt. The oldest
rocks are metamorphic. Originally, they had
been several kilometres thick sediments,
deposited at the bottom of the primeval
ocean, mainly in the older Palaeozoic and
maybe even earlier (roughly 600-400 million
years ago). In the wake of the primeval
Carpathians, these sediments submerged to
the depths of the Earth’s crust; in the zone
of increased pressure and temperature
they were metamorphosed into schists. At
the same time some of these rocks in the
areas with the highest temperature melted,
creating a magma, which after cooling and
solidification created a colourful mosaic of
varieties of granite (granitoid). In the subsequent
movements of the crust these rocks
were uplifted and denuded by deep weathering/erosion
processes. Now, they form the
central (core) parts of the Malé Karpaty,
Považský Inovec, Tribeč, Strážovské vrchy,
Vysoké and Nízke Tatry, Malá and Veľká
Fatra, Žiar and Branisko Mts. and are called
European Geologist 34 | November 2012
35